Diode-Pumped Actively Q-Switched Nd:YVO4/RTP Intracavity Raman Laser at 1.49 µm

For the first time, a diode-pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4/RbTiOPO4 (RTP) intracavity Raman laser at 1.49 µm was demonstrated to the best of our knowledge. Experimentally, a dual-end diffusion-bonded YVO4–Nd:YVO4–YVO4 crystal was employed as the laser medium to generate 1.34 µm laser radiation, and an RTP crystal as the Raman medium to enable the frequency conversion, by which radiation at 1.49 µm was achieved successfully. With an incident pump power of 10.4 W, an average output power of 502 mW was obtained at a pulse repetition rate of 15 kHz, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 4.8%.